Taking the Oregon Trail (without the cholera I hope)

[geebob]

Mrs Geebob and I will be spending the better part of three and a half weeks driving across 2/3 of the country and watching the Portland Open and Beaver State Fling. I've cribbed a good list of Oregon courses from wolfhaley's thread, so I think we're good there. We'll be visiting some friends and family, doing a bit of fishing, and a little sightseeing along the way, so plotted a route that includes some DG stops.

Here's what things look like right now:

Day 1 (5/24) – Mesker Park (Evansville) [5.5 hour drive (home to Mt. Vernon)]
Day 2 (5/25) – Harmony Bends (Columbia, MO) [7.5 hours (Mt. Vernon to Salina, KS]
Day 3 (5/26) – Ghost Town (Central City, CO) [7.5 hours (Salina to Idaho Springs, CO]
Day 4 (5/27) – (maybe) Watson Island (Grand Junction, CO) [3 hours (Idaho Springs to Grand Junction)]
Day 5 (5/28) – DATC Park (Kaysville, UT) [5 hours (Grand Junction to Kaysville, UT)]
Day 6 (5/29) – The Fort (Ogden, UT) [8 hours (Kaysville to Pendleton, OR)]
Day 7-10 (5/30 – 6/2) – spectating at Portland Open
Day 11-14 – bagging some Oregon courses
Day 15-17 (6/7 – 6/9) – spectating at Beaver State Fling
Day 18 (6/10) – Blue Mountain (Missoula) [9 hours (Portland to Missoula)]
Day 19 (6/11) – fishing day
Day 20 (6/12) – Spearfish Canyon (Spearfish) [9.5 hours (Missoula to Spearfish)
Day 21 (6/13) – Justin Trails (Sparta, WI) [10 hours (Spearfish to Sparta)]
Day 22 (6/14) – Wilderness (Montello, WI) [4 hours (Sparta to Spring Grove, IL)]
Day 23 (6/15) – Boylan Acres (Monrovia, IN) [7 hours (Spring Grove to home)]

A note or two:
Day 3 - hoping that the Denver traffic won't be too bad on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, so might be willing to detour to one of the better area courses. Suggestions welcome.
Day 4 - yeah, there are probably some better courses to hit than Watson's, but it was a favorite from my walk and chuck days.
Day 5 - will be staying with the in-laws so will probably try to coax my father-in-law into coming along for a few holes; if not, I might bag another course
Day 21-22 - it will be tough to limit myself to only one course a day in Wisconsin.

Really looking forward to the trip. Would love alternative stops, although we'll will need to limit long detours in the interest of sanity and marital harmony.

 

[Countchunkula]

I can't give you any useful advice, but that looks like a hell of a trip!

 

[Monocacy]

Looks like a fantastic trip, and an outstanding selection of courses. I hope you have a blast!

Day 1 (5/24) – Mesker Park (Evansville) [5.5 hour drive (home to Mt. Vernon)]

I enjoyed Mesker Park. Mesker Woods is another good short course nearby.

Day 3 (5/26) – Ghost Town (Central City, CO) [7.5 hours (Salina to Idaho Springs, CO]

Ghost Town is unique and fun. I had a mild preference for Wondervu, which is nearby.

Day 3 - hoping that the Denver traffic won't be too bad on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, so might be willing to detour to one of the better area courses. Suggestions welcome.

You could make a day of it and play Bucksnort, Beaver Ranch (Main and Bluebird), and Bear Mountain, if that comports with marital harmony . . .

 

[geebob]

I enjoyed Mesker Park. Mesker Woods is another good short course nearby.

I've been thinking about going over there for a while (seems like the highway has been messed up since we moved here in 2019) so seems like a good time to finally hit it. Noted on Mesker Woods.

Ghost Town is unique and fun. I had a mild preference for Wondervu, which is nearby.

Ok, it will be nice to get back up there.

You could make a day of it and play Bucksnort, Beaver Ranch (Main and Bluebird), and Bear Mountain, if that comports with marital harmony . . .

Definitely all on my list, but will probably have to wait until we're not on a tight schedule. We need to be in Junction on the 27th and a day of golf in Denver would cost me a fancy hotel and dinner at Root Down (admittedly, one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at).

 

[wolfhaley]

I haven't played Mesker Park, Mesker Woods or Boylan Acres. Yet. Those are on the docket in a couple weeks here and I'll review them for sure. They look worthwhile for sure.

Bucksnort is absolutely amazing. The only 5 disc review I've ever given out actually. It's pretty pricey and they only book two groups a day so may not be the best option depending on time. Fantastic course though. Like Monocacy said, Bear Mountain and Beaver Ranch are also excellent. Glen Isle is newer but really good too. I'd play those over Ghost town or Wondervu but you can't go wrong with any of those options.

Spearfish Canyon is great too. If you have time don't sleep on Pageant Hill. Similar vibe to Spearfish and well worth a round. I loved both of those courses.

It's a shame I won't be around when you head through WI or I'd try to meet up. Justin Trails is awesome. Expect to spend a good amount of time there. Big Brother is a beast of a course (by WI standards). Must play as is Wilderness. If you happen to have time check out Veteran Hills in Viroqua. Very good course. Zobel is nice too and isn't terribly far away from Wilderness either.

Looks like an awesome time either way. Be safe and have a good trip.

 

[Discette]

Day 3.. I would choose ANY course over Ghost Town (aka Junk Town). IMHO, it is way over rated! I had a reservation to play a solo round. However, I was forced to wait because my tee time was given to a group of four that showed up without a reservation. Which means I also got to wait on nearly every single hole! What is the point of having a reservation if it won't be honored?

 

[geebob]

I haven't played Mesker Park, Mesker Woods or Boylan Acres. Yet. Those are on the docket in a couple weeks here and I'll review them for sure. They look worthwhile for sure.

Bucksnort is absolutely amazing. The only 5 disc review I've ever given out actually. It's pretty pricey and they only book two groups a day so may not be the best option depending on time. Fantastic course though. Like Monocacy said, Bear Mountain and Beaver Ranch are also excellent. Glen Isle is newer but really good too. I'd play those over Ghost town or Wondervu but you can't go wrong with any of those options.

I'll pencil in Beaver Ranch for Ghost Town. Robin will probably appreciate Conifer if she isn't in a disc mood. Hopefully, the Hwy 73/74 traffic won't be too bad.

Spearfish Canyon is great too. If you have time don't sleep on Pageant Hill. Similar vibe to Spearfish and well worth a round. I loved both of those courses.

Yeah, I was hoping we'd have time for a two day stay in the Black Hills and I might still juggle things to make that happen. There's also some great fishing there as a bonus.

It's a shame I won't be around when you head through WI or I'd try to meet up. Justin Trails is awesome. Expect to spend a good amount of time there. Big Brother is a beast of a course (by WI standards). Must play as is Wilderness. If you happen to have time check out Veteran Hills in Viroqua. Very good course. Zobel is nice too and isn't terribly far away from Wilderness either.

Well, the good news is that my oldest (a true DG fanatic) is in the Milwaukee area and, with my retirement looming in January, I'll be spending more time in Wisconsin in the next few years. All of those courses and more are on my list, plus a few in Minnesota and (gasp) Iowa.

 

[RovingDiscGolfer]

In Oregon, there's lots to choose from but of course Milo McGiver in Estacada, Whistler's Bend in Roseburg and Pier Park in Portland should be on your list of courses to bag.

 

[ejvogie]

Is there a reason for Harmony Bends over Eagle's Crossing?

I preferred Harmony over Eagle's, just wondering about why you made that decision.

 

[geebob]

Is there a reason for Harmony Bends over Eagle's Crossing?

I preferred Harmony over Eagle's, just wondering about why you made that decision.

About 50% proximity to our route of travel and 50% being a cheapskate. Throw in another percent or two because I enjoyed watching the tournament at Harmony and it seems like a course I'll enjoy. I probably will play Eagle's in the future, but I'd like to make sure that I have enough time to make it value for my "soon to be fixed-income" money.

 

[wolfhaley]

Well, the good news is that my oldest (a true DG fanatic) is in the Milwaukee area and, with my retirement looming in January, I'll be spending more time in Wisconsin in the next few years. All of those courses and more are on my list, plus a few in Minnesota and (gasp) Iowa.

That's awesome to here. I'm originally from the Milwaukee area. There's not a ton of courses down there but there's a TON more than when I lived there. Nothing great but some solid, flat as all hell, for you courses.

Let me know what you play in Oregon too. You'll be there just before I'll get to play them. Also, review whatever you can, you write some DAMN good reviews.

 

[geebob]

That's awesome to here. I'm originally from the Milwaukee area. There's not a ton of courses down there but there's a TON more than when I lived there. Nothing great but some solid, flat as all hell, for you courses.

Let me know what you play in Oregon too. You'll be there just before I'll get to play them. Also, review whatever you can, you write some DAMN good reviews.

Yes, I've "played" a number of the Milwaukee courses, meaning that in the old days I'd walk around with a few random discs without a clue what I was doing. It was at Estabrook last year with my daughter when I finally decided that after years of throwing 100' hyzers and random rollers I might actually put some effort into this hobby. If I would have stumbled onto one of my Kentucky courses 10 years ago, I might have caught the bug back then (or been so terrified that I'd never pick up a disc again).

Will definitely let you know what we stumble upon in Oregon. Right now, I think we have enough on the list that we'd need to play five a day to make a dent in it. And thanks for the kind words about the reviews. I'm in the middle of one right now that is a tough one, but I might even finish it today.

 

[thrembo]

Harmony Bends will blow your mind. We made the trip over from SW Ohio last year. If you can squeeze in Prides Creek Park (the highest-rated Indiana course) on the way by I highly recommend It!

 

[geebob]

Harmony Bends will blow your mind. We made the trip over from SW Ohio last year. If you can squeeze in Prides Creek Park (the highest-rated Indiana course) on the way by I highly recommend It!

Looking forward to Harmony Bends. I think we'll play it with my daughter and son in law, so should be a blast.

Prides Creek is definitely on the list. I'll be in Nashville, IN in May so might take a side trip there and bag it then.

 

[geebob]

Update so far...

We got a decent start on Friday. I dropped Robin off at school so she could do her end of year checkout, and I went to get a few holes in at Idlewild before we got underway. Turned out to be a good decision as the bands of thunderstorms and traffic around Louisville made the side trip to Mesker a [COLOR=var(--text)]nonstarter. On the bright side, we made it all the way to Columbia, MO so I'd have plenty of time to tackle Harmony Bends in the morning.

Wow... Simply an amazing course. I played all of the reds and about half of the intermediate tees. Due to the recent rain there was some mud on the tee pads and clouds of mosquitoes (I've lived half my life in Wisconsin so a minor nuisance). I honestly could have spent the whole day here, but we were aiming for eight hours on the road so I begrudgingly headed back to the hotel to pick up Robin (for whom Saturday mornings are inviolate).

A short three hour drive on Sunday morning took us to Conifer, CO and Beaver Ranch DGC. Seriously fun course although the holiday weekend and great weather meant a packed course. It took us two hours to get through 13 holes by which time we were ready for lunch. So we headed back on the road, spending the night in beautiful Basalt, CO.

We had a few hours to kill before meeting up with friends in Grand Junction so made an unscheduled stop at the course at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs. I think it's my favorite college course and both Robin and I loved the combination of desert and woods. Moving on to Grand Junction, I met my friend and her son's at Watson's Island. It's nice to see a course that has improved over the past few years. Basket locations have been improved and I really enjoyed our round.

Currently on the road to Salt Lake City so more updates soon.[/COLOR]

 

[geebob]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Busy days and a nagging cold have put a crimp in my correspondence.

We hit Salt Lake City on a blazing hot day, but we still managed to play a few holes with my father-in-law at the Davis Technical College course in Kaysville. Nice course, making use of the limited trees. Worth an hour of your time if you have time to spare.

Off the next morning to Pendleton, Oregon. Was planning a stop in Ogden to bag a course there, but felt like I could barely get the suitcase in the car, so we switched that for the scenic drive to Logan and a stop at Infinite Discs.

We made it safely to Portland the following morning and I spent that day and the next three at the Portland Open. I don't love golf courses as venues,, but they do make good use of the terrain to make two interesting courses. Did catch some memorable moments including Anniken's ace and Holyn's final day -11 round.

We have played a few local courses. My daughter and son-in-law joined me for a round at Pier Park. Several excellent woods holes with tricky lines and only a few "meh" holes, so I liked it a lot. If we hadn't hit it at the busiest time, I might have played a second round. Monday, we played the Highland and Meadow Ridge courses at Horning Hideout. The property is amazing and I enjoyed both courses a lot. I have a few design quibbles with Meadow Ridge, mostly that the majority of basket placements are at the edge of steel dropoffs or otherwise placed to severely punish a missed putt. There is definitely a place for these on a challenging course, but on a hole that requires one or two highly technical shots to get even a long look really makes things rough. Another issue is the difficulty of retrieving or even playing shots on a few of the steepest holes. Making shots into these areas OB, with drop zones at basket level would reduce the risk of a nasty fall. Despite this, I'd rate it a 4 for the course and perhaps bump it to 4.5 for the amenities.

Recuperation day today and probably a local course or two tomorrow morning. Will update again after the Fling.